Systems and methods for multi-resolution data sensing

1. A method for manufacturing a head assembly, the method comprising: providing a sensor pair including a first sensor and a second sensor, wherein the first sensor exhibits a first resolution offset from a second resolution exhibited by the second sensor; sensing data from a storage medium using the first sensor to yield a first signal and sensing data from a storage medium using the second sensor to yield a second signal; combining a first input derived from the first signal with a second input derived from the second signal to yield a unified data output; wherein combining the first input with the second input includes: comparing a first instance of the first input with a threshold window; comparing a second instance of the second input with the threshold window; averaging the first instance with the second instance to yield a corresponding instance of the unified data output when both the first instance and the second instance are outside the threshold window; selecting the first instance as the corresponding instance of the unified data output when the first instance is outside the threshold window and the second instance is within of the threshold window; and selecting the second instance as the corresponding instance of the unified data output when the second instance is outside the threshold window and the first instance is within of the threshold window.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first resolution is a low resolution and wherein the second resolution is a high resolution, wherein the low resolution exhibits a transfer function that is low-pass in nature, and wherein the high resolution exhibits a transfer function that is high-pass in nature.

3. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising: disposing the head assembly over a track of a storage medium, wherein a down track direction is a direction the head assembly moves in relation to the storage medium during an access of the storage medium; and wherein the physical layout of the first sensor and the second sensor is selected from a group consisting of: the first sensor leads the second sensor in the down track direction, and the second sensor leads the first sensor in the down track direction.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is separated in a horizontal direction from the second sensor by a shield.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first sensor is offset above the second sensor in a vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first sensor is offset of the second sensor in a vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first sensor is aligned with the second sensor in a vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

8. A method for accessing data from a storage device, the method comprising: sensing data from a storage medium using a first sensor to yield a first signal; sensing data from a storage medium using a second sensor to yield a second signal, wherein a first resolution of the first sensor is offset from a second resolution of the second sensor; and combining a first input derived from the first signal with a second input derived from the second signal without compensating for a difference between the first resolution and the second resolution to yield a unified data output; and wherein combining the first input with the second input includes: comparing a first instance of the first input with a threshold window; comparing a second instance of the second input with the threshold window; averaging the first instance with the second instance to yield a corresponding instance of the unified data output when both the first instance and the second instance are outside the threshold window; selecting the first instance as the corresponding instance of the unified data output when the first instance is outside the threshold window and the second instance is within of the threshold window; and selecting the second instance as the corresponding instance of the unified data output when the second instance is outside the threshold window and the first instance is within of the threshold window.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first signal is processed by a first processing path circuit to yield the first input, wherein the second signal is processed by a second processing path circuit to yield the second input.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first processing path circuit and the second processing path circuit are implemented using the same circuit architecture.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the circuit architecture includes: a preamplifier circuit operable to amplify an input to yield an amplified output; a front end circuit operable to filter the amplified output to yield a filtered output; an analog to digital converter circuit operable to generate a series of digital samples corresponding to the filtered output; and an equalizer circuit operable to equalize the series of digital samples to yield an equalized output.

12. A hard disk drive, the hard disk drive comprising: a disk platter including a track of information; a head assembly disposed in relation to the disk platter, wherein the head assembly includes at least a first sensor and a second sensor, wherein the first sensor exhibits a first resolution, and wherein the second sensor exhibits a second resolution offset from the first resolution; and a read circuit operable to: receive a first signal from the first sensor and a second signal from the second sensor, and combine the first signal and the second signal without compensating for a difference between the first resolution and the second resolution to yield a unified data output, wherein combining the first signal with the second signal includes: generating a first input corresponding to the first signal; generating a second input corresponding to the second signal; comparing a first instance of the first input with a threshold window; comparing a second instance of the second input with the threshold window; averaging the first instance with the second instance to yield a corresponding instance of the unified data output when both the first instance and the second instance are outside the threshold window; selecting the first instance as the corresponding instance of the unified data output when the first instance is outside the threshold window and the second instance is within of the threshold window; and selecting the second instance as the corresponding instance of the unified data output when the second instance is outside the threshold window and the first instance is within of the threshold window.

13. The hard disk drive of claim 12 , wherein the read circuit is implemented as part of an integrated circuit.

14. The hard disk drive of claim 12 , wherein both the first sensor and the second sensor sense the information from the track.

15. The hard disk drive of claim 12 , wherein the disk platter is a magnetic storage medium.

16. The hard disk drive of claim 15 , wherein the information is magnetic information.

17. The hard disk drive of claim 12 , wherein the head assembly is operable to move in relation to the disk platter in a down track direction, and wherein a cross track direction is substantially perpendicular to the down track direction.

18. The hard disk drive of claim 17 , wherein the first sensor is offset to the right of the second sensor in the cross track direction.

19. The hard disk drive of claim 17 , wherein the first sensor is offset to the left of the second sensor in the cross track direction.

20. The hard disk drive of claim 17 , wherein the first sensor is aligned with the second sensor in the cross track direction.

21. The hard disk drive of claim 12 , wherein the first resolution is lower than the second resolution.

22. The hard disk drive of claim 12 , wherein the first resolution is a low resolution and wherein the second resolution is a high resolution, wherein the low resolution exhibits a transfer function that is low-pass in nature, and wherein the high resolution exhibits a transfer function that is high-pass in nature.

23. The hard disk drive of claim 22 , wherein the first sensor leads the second sensor in the down track direction.

24. The hard disk drive of claim 22 , wherein the second sensor leads the first sensor in the down track direction.

25. The hard disk drive of claim 12 , wherein the read circuit includes: a first processing path circuit operable to process the first signal to yield a first input and a second processing path circuit operable to process the second signal to yield a second input, wherein the first processing path circuit and the second processing path circuit are implemented using the same circuit architecture.

26. The hard disk drive of claim 25 , wherein the circuit architecture includes: a preamplifier circuit operable to amplify an input to yield an amplified output; a front end circuit operable to filter the amplified output to yield a filtered output; an analog to digital converter circuit operable to generate a series of digital samples corresponding to the filtered output; and an equalizer circuit operable to equalize the series of digital samples to yield an equalized output.